[Python-Dev] Deprecating the formatter module (original) (raw)

Paul Moore p.f.moore at gmail.com
Mon Aug 12 22:11:30 CEST 2013

On 12 August 2013 20:22, Brett Cannon <brett at python.org> wrote:

At the PyCon CA sprint someone discovered the formatter module had somewhat low code coverage. We discovered this is because it's tested by testsundry, i.e. it's tested by importing it and that's it.

We then realized that it isn't really used by anyone (pydoc uses it but it should have been using textwrap). Looking at the history of the module it has just been a magnet for cleanup revisions and not actual usage or development since Guido added it back in 1995. I have created http://bugs.python.org/issue18716 to deprecate the formatter module for removal in Python 3.6 unless someone convinces me otherwise that deprecation and removal is the wrong move.

I can see no reason to object. But having looked at the module for the first time on the basis of this email, I have to say that if I'd stumbled across it by chance, my reaction would have been that it was another one of Python's "hidden gems" that I'd never been aware of. I would then, of course, have filed it for future reference "should I need it", and never actually used it.

So I'm OK for it to go, but a little sad nevertheless :-)

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